When I strapped on the Straum Jan Mayen Titanium, I did so with one hand placed firmly on a book of watchmaking and a quiet promise to myself not to let my Norwegian roots colour my judgement. Yet here I am, impressed, but for mostly objective reasons. And as first impressions go, for a journalist who loves a slightly dressed-up tool watch, the Straum x TRTS Jan Mayen Titanium Stormy Seas goes hard.
Straum is a young Scandinavian brand that seems to have found its identity and it’s one that’s refreshingly modern sans a shred of homage. Navigating the stormy seas (pun intended) of the enthusiast-focused small- and microbrand world is challenging, but Straum has already earned its stripes. This time, we are treated to a new edition in collaboration with watch Podcast The Real Time Show, with a time-limited fluo-popping version of their Jan Mayen in titanium.
The first version of the Jan Mayen was comfortably seated in the mid-priced small brand aisle on the integrated bracelet hype train. But brand founders Lasse and Oystein had the right hand of cards for this hotly contested game. By juxtaposing Grand Seiko-like dial art with a broad case that leans on a contemporary style language, it has a distinct identity. This time I am wearing their second version in titanium, and Straum has stepped up its comfort game.
Let’s begin with the case. At 39 mm across and a lug-to-lug of 45.8 mm, the Jan Mayen is slim and remains compact, but darker in the metal this time, and deceptively light. I can see many collectors cresting the vintage-inspired wave, so the Jan Mayen is timely modern. At the same time, we can’t seem to make up our minds on whether we want to stick with small-cased dressy watches or return to the brawny tools of the oughts. Straum ignores both trends and seems more in tune with the Japanese vibe of offering a solid tool watch without going down the quite boring path of all-matte monochrome. This particular mindset brings with it intrinsic dial details, juxtaposed with a bead-blasted case with fine beveling to catch the eye, not an easy feat with titanium.
The case is crafted in grade 5 titanium, and Straum has chosen to media-blast it to a softly textured satin finish. What does it for me is the choice of strong, polished bevels along its edges, striking a graceful balance between sporty tool watch and refined wrist piece. The titanium gives the Jan Mayen a lightness that reminds you you’re wearing something built to be comfortable – perhaps even deceivingly delicate – but the design ensures you’re still anchored firmly in purpose rather than pretence.
The dial is evocative of the Arctic zone that inspires its name: this limited edition has a deep grey-blue lacquered finish with a bold pattern under the glitz, evolving into a near-midnight tone in a subtle fumé effect, underscored by a sharp minute track and bold sword-hands with applied Grade A Super-LumiNova. The indices are tool-watch big, applied with rounded tips, and the second hand pops like mad with its neon flash. Straum has nicknamed it the Light Sabre, with an emergency orange-red that is not lumed, but is fluorescent and reacts to UV-light as a perfect clubbing party piece. So far so fun, and the distinctly minimal Nordic restraint is absent, instead offering us a show of horological chops married to a no-nonsense tool ethos.
Where Straum truly impresses is the new integrated FKM-rubber strap, with a quality that puts the watch right up there with Hublot’s Classic Fusion and the equally close to the $10K Laventure brand with its similar blocky style. Except this is a sub-£2,000 watch, where the founders asked themselves: what do you do when you like a watch’s integrated bracelet case design but prefer a rubber or softer alternative? And with the exception of some grail options, the answer usually falls somewhere between “good compromise” and “fiddly quick-release gimmick.” Straum made a proper answer, spending more than a year of developing a strap that fits flush to the case, with a blocky ridged design. It widens at the case to 24mm and tapers to 18mm with a classically styled tang buckle, and a tang that is curved inwards in a stroke of genius. Behind that lies a push-button quick-release system engineered to feel both elegant and secure.
Inside we find the tried-and-tested La Joux-Perret G101 movement, ticking at 4 Hz with a 70-hour power reserve. It’s a non-too-fancy option that offers a reliable foundation rather than a showpiece complication, which suits the spirit of the Jan Mayen: capable, understated, no flash without substance. For a watch priced at £1,590 (ex.VAT), this is value delivered across the board.
This particular limited edition was designed together with podcast TRTS (The Real Time Show), and is not limited in production, but time. The order window stays open for a fortnight, and might reappear at a later date, but this is not guaranteed. You’ll see it here in my shots with a black FKM rubber strap, but you can choose any of the brand’s seven rubber-strap colours (with extra straps available), giving you a colourful choice without compromising character.
Who will buy this watch? Two broad groups. First-time buyers who want something independent, modern, thoughtful – not just another take on a familiar design. Second, seasoned enthusiasts looking for value-forward pieces from brands outside the big houses, ones with real design identity and execution to match.
For both small brand enthusiasts and collectors as well as mechanical watch newbies, the Jan Mayen Titanium offers a compelling package, and what I admire most is the clarity of purpose. Straum didn’t tinker incrementally; they went for meaningful upgrades. Titanium case for comfort and lighter wear; integrated rubber strap engineered properly; dial and case aesthetic that draw on Nordic roots but don’t feel cliché. Everything culminates in a watch that “punches above its weight”, an old phrase, but here entirely justified.
Price and Specs:
More details at Straum.
